Different
by Brown Eyes Parker
Summary: She was a refreshing change, different from any other girl that he had ever known. She was the girl that he was going to spend forever with. He was certain of it. Rated T. Hal x Lourdes.


**Different**

**A Hal & Lourdes Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer:**

**Wait, you thought I owned something? I'm flattered.**

_For all the people who asked for a second story from me, this is for you. _

**.**

Telling her how he felt about her was different. She looked at him, her dark eyes wide in amazement, then she smiled and said "about time" like she had been waiting for him her whole entire life. Like she was sure that one day he would come to his sense and pick her. At the same time, she still looked humbled. All the other girls (minus Maggie) always looked vainer than a peacock whenever he just _talked_ to them, even if it was just about a school assignment. She was a refreshing change, different from any other girl that he had ever known. She was the girl that he was going to spend forever with. He was certain of it.

Waking up next to her was different. She would pepper his face with kisses and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. She loved him without abandon and with a sweetness that he had never experienced before. He couldn't help but wonder why she had chosen to bestow her affections on him, especially when he had barely noticed her as a friend before. He had been too preoccupied with other things, with other girls to notice just how amazing she really was; how she was everything he was looking for.

Kissing her was different. She always tasted like strong coffee and cherry Chap Stick. And they always took their time. Their kisses were more tender, more exploratory and loving. There wasn't a hint of lust or hardness when their lips touched. It was a stark contrast to the previous girls in his life, there were boundaries and preliminaries. They never went further until he had told her that he loved her, the three words leading to a passion he couldn't even begin to put into words. It was the kind of thing he had never experienced before and he was looking forward to experiencing it the rest of his life.

Talking to her was different. She wasn't interested in talking battle strategy or trying to tell him what he _didn't_ want to do post-war. Instead she talked about houses big enough for a large family and maybe a dog. She talked settling down and taking his last name as her own and about date nights. He liked the sound of that, of spending the rest of his life with somebody who wanted the same things as him.

Dancing with her was different. She let him lead, didn't object when he would dance her around the tent while one of Weaver's old tunes played on the radio somewhere in the distance. She was soft and skinny and she smelled like a mixture of antiseptic and citrus. He loved the way she smelled. Most times it was easy to get lost in her scent and the small world they had created with one song.

It was different seeing Maggie with Pope. They made a good looking couple that was for sure. And Pope complemented her more than he _ever_ had. They were a perfect pairing, and it looked like Maggie had finally found her happy ending. He was delighted, she deserved a happy ending.

After the last of the aliens had been taken care of, everything was different. Things started to settle down again and even almost return to normal. People never really forgot what happened or stopped living in fear that it would happen again one day. But they moved past it and settled down for good. They fell into the same old daily routines and he found that sometimes the same thing day after day was nicer than having things different all the time.

Especially with her by his side.

Being married was different. It was until deaths do us part, and _really_ working together. It was remembering birthdays, Valentine's Day, and anniversaries, or bringing her flowers just because. It was saying _sorry_ after a bad argument, or holding her hair back and helping her clean herself up when she was struggling with morning sickness. It was going out at midnight to find what she was craving, and sometimes going out a second time when she changed her mind. It was not throwing the towel in when things were especially rough. It was still loving her even when he wasn't _in_ love with her. It was watching her old movies, the one where the female lead sang in every other scene and eventually made good with one of the wealthiest young men in the movies and not minding that the situation wasn't even feasible in real life. Because at the end of the day, no matter how bad the argument, no matter how corny the movie, or how bad she looked or how loud they yelled at each other, he still couldn't see himself waking up to anybody else but her, he couldn't see himself kissing anybody else but her, he couldn't see himself spending the rest of his life with anybody except for her.

Being a father was different. Unlike with Matt and Lexi, he couldn't return his child after a couple hours of movies and pizza. She was his for keeps, and he felt a huge sense of responsibility. It was even huger than trying to be a good role model to his younger brothers and sister. Most days he didn't know how he kept it together. If it weren't for her and her gentle encouragement, he would have questioned becoming a father altogether. The first few months of having the baby, _she _was the one who kept him sane even though _she_ was the one who was up with the baby during the night, most nights. She was so sure of both of them, so sure they wouldn't screw up their little girl. Even on their worst days when the baby couldn't even be comforted and they both looked like zombies, she talked about having more kids eventually. And even though he was dead tired, he didn't mind because she would be the mother of all his children.

He wouldn't have had his life any other way.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note:**

**I would love to hear your thoughts about this piece. Just click the review box below and tell me what you think, I don't bite. And I promise, my next Hal & Lourdes story WILL NOT have a name that begins in "D". **

**Holly, 8/16/2013_**


End file.
